Well, I'm still sort of reeling from the experience so I'm not sure how articulate this will be. It was such an incredible thing to be able to sit down and talk with Aaron about this project, music in general and how it all came to be. I'm a teacher; I can't keep up with my grading, half the time I wonder why I teach and I constantly weigh the pros and cons of the career. We don't have great benefits and the pay leaves a bit to be desired, even with three degrees. But I have to say that this experience, not just meeting the band and hearing them live, but the process, the intent, the result and the chance to allow a student to share it with me, puts things in perspective. The joy that my student, Josh Mathieson, felt and expressed in meeting the band, going to the concert and having this once-in-a-lifetime experience is why I teach. Or why, as teachers, we keep with it. He must have thanked me every hour or so and we were there for six hours. Amazing stuff, really. Aaron was really appreciative of the letters (100 or so) and the signed book we gave the band (although he may have coveted it for his own). I hope that he/they can understand where I was coming from because perhaps it is a bit of stretch, but stretching the limits of creativity is what makes good teaching...I hope. If anything, it's a good read for the long road to the next tour stop. Iowa? The Staind family and friends who made this possible were extremely helpful, kind and funny. I'm pretty sure a big thanks goes out to Lisa, Aunt Jeanna and Aaron's wife for making this possible. Sincerely, we're all just people living our lives and if our paths cross, no matter who we are, where we come from or what we do for a living, we're just people: Rockstar or teacher. Again, amazing stuff. I also really loved that the songs they chose for the set list were the ones I've been listening to lately: Epiphany, Nutshell, Pardon Me, Believe, new and old work. I'm pretty sure I'm deaf, however, and I was probably yelling at my students today (unintentionally). I doubt I will be able to top this in my career, but at least I know that one of my students, for the rest of his life, will remember this moment, this band, this teacher and most importantly, this book.